Trainee associate Review

My role primarily involves the preparation of statutory financial statements and management accounts from information provided by clients. I also prepare and submit VAT and other returns to HMRC (intrastat, EC sales etc). I have some clients which I do work for regularly (monthly/quarterly) and a number of clients which I have regular contact with regarding their deliverables.

I have learnt a lot with regards to accounts preparation, general accounting and tax. Lots of internal training is provided to ensure we have enough technical knowledge to perform our day jobs. We also receive lots of training on the relevant software (including common programs like excel). I have also developed my soft skills and am a better communicator in both a professional and relaxed setting.

I enjoy my job overall, I find the job sufficiently challenging and I am given enough responsibility and autonomy to keep things interesting. Unfortunately there are some mundane tasks which I get because I am the most junior person in the team, but that would be expected in any role.

We have already received preliminary dates for our study with Kaplan into 2021, we have also received dates for internal courses up to November 2019, dates don't change very often and any changes or relevant information (eg pre course work) is communicated well in advance, everything is well organised.

We receive a lot of support with regards to study, everyone has been through the exams and understands the situation. We have regular events such as taking time to go for a walk on World Mental Health day which show that there is a good attitude towards supporting staff. As an apprentice I had a buddy from day 1 and have also received lots of support from the people who sit near me who have been patient while I learned my job.

Everyone is considerate that we have exams and tries not to put too much work on us when we have exams coming up. Our internal training is often very helpful in preparing for the exams and sometimes they invite us to training not relevant to our job to help us further our knowledge and pass the exams.

I do not feel the qualification has made a great deal of difference so far, a number of the exams are not at all relevant to my line of work and I receive enough on the job training to render anything I learn at Kaplan insignifigant. It is however, useful to get a feel for other lines of service through study.

There are regular work socials paid for by the firm which allow us to bond a team outside of work, attendance at these is high in our office. Some people have taken the initiative to start sports teams but generally that sort of thing is more common in the larger offices (not mine).

Yes

The apprenticeship offers great opportunity for personal development and once qualified you have a good foundation to build a career from, you are always supported and you are fairly remunerated. Generally speaking, everyone is approachable and it is a nice working environment. I could not reasonably suggest how it could be better.

The selection process is more about identifying people with the right attitude to work and who work well in a group than anything else. It is vital you are vocal in the group task on your assessment day. Speaking from experience as someone who had partner interviews at 2 other big 4 firms, the selection process at PwC is much more relaxed than other firms.